Important Message

Since I do not require you to sign up for an account to post on the website I do have a few rules:
1. No last names.
2. Make sure your name is on the post.
3. If you are a parent please put your name and your students' name.

4. No negative comments about other students.

I will DELETE posts and will not answer if you don't follow these rules.


Thank You,
Mr. Williams

Sunday, August 17, 2014

Debrief of Week One

Dear Parents,

Now that the excitement of the first week of school is behind us and we have all had a chance to catch our breath I wanted to give you a few updates of how our first week went.  It has been fun getting to know the students and observing how they learn. The first two days we worked on a group project where the students needed to use teamwork to build a structure that could withstand wind. It was great to see them work through their struggles, come up with some interesting structures using their own problem solving strategies and most importantly working together as a team. I did take a few photos that will be posted on the website soon.  Later in the week we worked on the creative side as the students wrote stories encouraging them to use their imaginations. I have to admit we have some very creative thinkers in our class.

As expected in the beginning of any school year there will be a few minor classroom changes. These changes are being made to help students focus more and be less distracted during classroom time. The first change is regarding individual pencil sharpeners. These little items are creating major distractions and I have asked all students to leave them at home. Sharpened pencils will always be available to the students.  All they need to do is trade in their dull or broken pencil for a sharpened one. The second change is in regard to the class bathroom. The students are thrilled at the uniqueness of having a bathroom in the classroom. They are so thrilled that they like to spend much of their day in there at the most inopportune times.  As a result we will be starting a “bathroom pass system”. Students will be given an equal number of passes for the week. Once they have used all their passes for the week they will not have the opportunity to use the bathroom during class time.  Please remind and encourage your student that the bathroom is accessible to them before school, during both recesses and lunch without having to use a pass. Of course, if there is an emergency they will be allowed to use the bathroom. The final change is regarding water bottles.  We have already had several spills on our carpet from milk and juice that has required carpet cleaning.  Students are asked to bring water to drink during class time to keep hydrated and they can easily refill their bottles during the day.  Milk and juice is only acceptable during lunch. Thank you for your understanding.

It was a pleasure to meet many of you during Back to School Night and the School Dedication. As you are aware our TV monitor was not yet hooked up and I do want to bring your attention to the following link (click here) which is a video I created to give you a tour of the class website. The website will be your greatest source of online information about what is happening in class. Please enjoy and refer to the site often.

If you have any questions please feel free to email me at the address below.

Mr. Williams
jwilliams@streamcharter.net